Control investigation of a modular system using two-loop control in renewable energy systems

Abstract

A modular topology grounded on a three-level step-up converter has already been investigated. This studied structure has been controlled with an indirect sliding-mode controller to keep the voltages of the output capacitors balance. In some applications in renewable energy systems such as fuel cells, output voltage control is the final objective. Thus, an outer voltage loop with an energy controller can compute the current references. The controller performance in terms of tracking and its effect on the voltage balance of the output capacitors are investigated. Simulation results using MATLAB/Simulink are given in two scenarios, in which the reference value for the output voltage decreases and increases.